Seraphina and the Frost Giant
by LadyTardis
Summary: When you've fallen in love with the enemy, your heart and mind betray one another. One-shot, serious alternate ending.


"Look at me, Loki. I want you to see what you've done."

A sad voice reached my ears, and I soon after realized it belonged to me. He looked at me, sad, blue-green eyes traveled up to my face. He was hurting, physically in pain and he struggled to sit up from his indentation in the floor of Stark's penthouse. At that point, I couldn't seem to care- I didn't want to admit that I did. His pale face was covered in scratches and newly forming bruises; the injuries matching mine, aside from the three, long slice marks that resided on my cheek.

"Did you believe you could win his?" I was yelling at him, and the tone dripped with disbelief. Before, I wouldn't have dared to yell at him, but now…much too much had happened. I couldn't help it. I just wanted to scream at him for all that he'd done.

It wasn't always like this; I was happy once, and for a while I thought he was too. Of course, I couldn't have been sure. He was the God of Lies, after all.

His cool fingertips grazed my face, careful not to press to hard in areas of the slice marks. I wanted to hit him, to swear at him, to shove him from the window as I had witnessed him to only moments before this. Instead, I didn't. I didn't even slap his hand away, but when his voice- that perfectly deceiving voice- broke my angry thoughts, I cried. That was all I could do; I couldn't help that.

"I did this for you. I can't be enough for you- not here, or on Asgard, or any other realm." He was lying…or maybe he wasn't. I couldn't tell anymore.

"You've brought these…"Chitauri" to this world-_my_ world, because you believe you're not good enough?" The wind whipped my honey blonde waves around my face, Loki's thumbs catching stray tears that managed to work their way from my eyes. "You don't get to tell me that this is my fault. That-" I pointed off behind me, the ruins of New York City in full view for him to see. If not for me, he would be proud of his work. "-wasn't because of me Loki."

"I cannot be what you wish for in a man. I cannot promise you that you will always love me and-"

"That's bullshit!" I snapped back, the crack of my small hand against his cheek resonated throughout the room, ringing in our ears. He was defeated, and he knew it. "You didn't have to do this just to...to what? Prove yourself to me? You're a god, and I am next to nothing. You know that." I grew frustrated, and my fingers tangled into my hair.

There was a shout of victor above us, from what I could only assume was Natasha closing the portal. I looked back at him as he sauntered away from me.

"I hate you, Loki…"

The words were harsh, and left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I was lost in trying to find any piece of truth in them. Though he knew it wasn't true, the words stung him. He tensed, and turned back to face me so I could see what I had done to him just then. It didn't matter how horrible he felt.

"I never wanted you to do anything more but to love me. I thought…I thought if

I showed you how powerful I was, you would stay with me. You would leave S.H.E.I.L.D and come away, rule with me…"

He fell to his knees, and that was the first time I had ever seen him grovel. I crossed to him, taking his form into my arms, my voice choking with tears. His arm slithered around me and he sobbed.

"I've never seen you so broken, Loki."

His throaty chuckle rang out and he glanced up at me, those eyes coated in a shiny layer of tears. "That is because I never wanted you to see me this way. It makes me look weak. It is such a…human thing to do." His smile was sad, and far from whole-hearted, and though he was trying, I could find no humor in his words.

"You've caused me so much pain.."

His lips silenced me, pressing against mine in an attempt to gain back everything we had before all of this. It was a desperate kiss, heartbreaking. I made a decision then, one that I wasn't sure if I'd regret later on.

"We have to leave."

His eyes locked onto my own and I nodded, reassuring him that he had heard correctly. I slipped my hand into his, just in time for the rest of my team- my former team, now- surround us.

"Good work, Seraphina. You've got him. Again." Leave it to Tony to make snide comments at a time like this. If only they knew that I had chosen to save Loki; to free him.

"Please," I murmured, swallowing down the lump in my throat before I continued, "It's just Aria now…"

They knew then. I didn't know if it was the sadness in my eyes, the dark look on Loki's face, or the mention of my real first name, but they knew.

"I'm sorry…"

I knew them, some for over a year. I knew them enough to know that they didn't believe me, and would only understand why I did what I did until the anger and feeling of betrayal had subsided.

Before on of them could say anything in return, Loki pulled me to his side, and the two of us vanished, leaving the Avengers without a prisoner, without their fire manipulator. All they had was hurt, and the Tesseract.


End file.
